SaskTel firsts

Over the years, SaskTel has compiled an impressive list of industry "firsts" despite the challenges of delivering phone service over a very high-cost serving area with the fewest customers per kilometre of any Canadian province, and while maintaining local phone rates that are among the lowest in Canada.

2007

• After releasing 2006 financial results, SaskTel exceeds $1 billion in revenues for the first time in its history.
• SaskTel is the first provider in Canada to offer Voice Mail to Text service, powered by SpinVox.

2006

• In Oct, SaskTel was the first in North America to deliver HDTV over IP due to its Next Generation Access Infrastructure (NGAI) investment. SaskTel will make a capital investment of over $310 million through 2010 significantly increasing bandwidth to the home..
• In Sep, SaskTel is the first in Canada to launch Say & Send messaging service, a service that enables SaskTel postpaid cellular customers to record voice messages and send them instantly to other SaskTel cellular customers.
• SaskTel introduced Centrex IP, which used internet protocol technology to provide business customers lower rates than traditional Centrex service along with the ability to manage their own telephone moves and changes.

2005

• SaskTel was one of first in Canada to introduce the third generation of wireless technology, Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), which will bring wireless internet speeds up to par with landline high speed internet service.

2004

• SaskTel was the first service provider in Canada to offer a managed residential gateway service with WiFi capability and enhanced features such as parental controls, content filtering, remote access, and firewall as a standard offering.

2003

• SaskTel was the first telecommunications company in North America to offer a video-on-demand service – Max Front Row™ Service.

2002

• SaskTel was one of the first in Canada to offer IPTV – Max™ Service .

1996

• SaskTel was the first in North America to offer high speed internet service using Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology.

1995

• SaskTel was at the forefront in Canada to offer universal internet access to both urban and rural residents, and the first in Canada to offer it with no long distance charges.

1994

• SaskTel was the first in Canada to offer a long distance savings plan to customers – Real Plus™.

1992

• SaskTel was one of the first major sponsors in Saskatchewan to form a partnership with TRLabs – beginning a long-term commitment to telecom research and development with the research consortium.

1991

• SaskTel was the first in Canada to offer Custom Calling features (now renamed SaskTel Calling Features) – Call Display, Call Trace and Call Return.

Early 1990's

• SaskTel was the first telecommunications company in Canada to complete its rural individual line service program, eliminating party lines throughout Saskatchewan.

1987

• Since 1987, SaskTel has invested close to $2.8 billion in its world-class infrastructure in Saskatchewan that offers residents and business owners the ability to connect to the global marketplace in ways they never could before.

1985

• SaskTel is a world leader in fiber optics - no more evident than SaskTel's key role in the largest construction project of the 20th century - helping install and test the communications system in the Channel Tunnel linking England and France.

1984

• SaskTel was the first in the world to complete what was then the longest commercial fiber optic network.